Golf bag



1952 J. R. BURTON, JR., ET AL GOLF BAG Filed Feb. 10, 1948 2 SHEETSSHEET l lNj EN TOR Feb. 26, 1952 J. R. BURTON, JR., ETAL 2,587,0

GOLF BAG Filed Feb. 10. 1948 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 E I IIIIIHE Patented Feb. 26, 1952 GOLF BAG James R. Burton, J r., and Henry N. McLean, Sr., I

Jasper, Ala.

Application February 10, 1948, Serial No. 7,328 ,2 Claims. (01. 150-15) This invention relates to a golf bag. It has for its main object to provide a bag having improved features not heretofore used in the structure of golf bags. In order to better understand the improved features it is necessary to first describe the structure now in general use.

On the conventional bag the padded portion of the shoulder sling is elongated by a billet which is usually a continuation of the shoulder sling layer with a reinforcing piece of leather sewed underneath. The billet is punched with holes to thus accommodate the tongue of a buckle, and it fastens to a buckle which is attached to the body of the bag. In some instances the chape which fastens the buckle is elongated into a strap, and when this construction is used the additional length of the chape is compensated for by reducing the length of the billet. This type of structure is a disadvantage in that the weight of the bag is altogether on two points, the point at the top of the bag where the sling attaches to the cuff and the point on the body of the bag where the buckle chape is attached. The top connection is fairly satisfactory for at that point the bag is reinforced by the top ring and top of cuff, but where the buckle chape attaches to the bag there is no reinforcement other than the handle strip. This results in poor balance of the weight of the bag at this point, which makes the bag difiicult to carry, a Weak connection which sometimes wears and breaks, and almost inevitably a distortion of the bag as too much weight is carried on one point.

The other improved feature covers the ball pocket. The conventional pocket is formed by stitching the face panels which are joined in .the center by a slide fastener, to the perpention permits the pocket to. be pulled open at" the bottom to its full width to give easy access to the interior when the fastener is open throughout itsllength and the pocket extension is released from its traveling position.

..i A further improvement is the rigid structure 90f .the bottom ofthelbag. I

.. ;.Other objects andadvantages will appear from ithe drawings and. description.

iii By referring. enerally; ito; the; drawings,v pa of this application, it will be observed that Fig. 1

is a side elevational view of the bag and attach,- ments; Fig. 2 is a front elevational view of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is an enlarged partial rear elevational side view of Fig. 1 showing the ball pocket; Fig. 4 is a top view of Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a vertical center sectional view indicating the differentpositions of the pockets in broken lines; Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail view of the shoulder sling assembly -with the lower double straps feature with the two loops on each pair; Fig. 7 is an elevational view of the bag showing the ball pocket partly open; Fig. 8 is an enlarged partial. view of the bottom of the bag showing the rigid structure; Fig. 9 is a detail view showing the ball pocket fully open; and Fig. 10 is an enlarged. partial side view of Fig. 6 on line l0|0.,

Similar reference numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings in detail it will be s'een'that' the bag comprises a main body. I substantially of the conventional type with pockets 2 and 3 and a rigid bottom structure 4. A heavy piece of leather 5 roughly in the shape of a pair of wings is stitched to the body I of the bag just above the ball pocket 3, the ends of which are stitched under .the stay strips 6 also stitched to the body of the bag. Slots are cut in this piece of leather at an angle of approximately degrees compared to the line of the stay strips. In each slot is inserted a chape, one end of which has been passed through a D and doubled back over the other end of itself. Next a hole is made through the wing shaped heavy piece of leather, both ends of the chape,

and the body of the bag. The chape may be secured to the wing shaped heavy piece of leather and body by any suitable means, such as stitching or riveting. The conventional shoulder sling is changed by the elimination of the billet herefixed in place.

tofore mentioned. At the bottom end of the padded portion of the sling a D or square 'I is The leather straps 8 and 9 approximately 37 inches long about A. of an inch in width complete the shoulder sling suspension. Each of these straps has a buckle I0 attached to one end and holes spaced apart in the other end to accommodate the buckle tongue. Two

'- leather slide loops II and l are placed on each strap. Next each strapis passed through one of the Ds l2 afiixed to the wing shaped heavypiece of leather with the grain side of the leather to the outside, and with the hole end of the strap going through the D toward the wing shaped heavy piece of leather. After the straps have been pulled through the D's up to a point where the buckles are within a few inches of the D's the hole ends are passed through the slide loops u' a sewnd m and, u led u til, we ee is against itself with all the slack drawn out,

then passed through the slide loop I I, then passed through the shoulder sling D I in which the straps are crossed and passed through the slide loops 1 l of the other strap near the D 1 and then each strap is fastened in the buckle of the opposing strap as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 6. This crossing arrangement of the straps permits them to slide in either direction through the D I and to compensate their length according to the direction from which the pull comes which depends on which shoulder that the bag is carried. This compensating feature is the main advantage of this type of suspension. The straps equalize in the direction of the pull, the pull against the body of the bag remains on the same points as when the pull on the shoulder sling is straight with the axis of the bag instead of from an angle to either side. Were the compensating feature not present the strap on the present full opening pocket the face panels are out in such a manner that when the lower outside corner is folded back under each panel an extension to the face panel is created which extends in the shape of a triangle as shown over the point where the side panels form the bottom of the pocket to a distance of approximately one-half the total width of the pocket face.

The slide fastener [3 extends to the lower end of the V-pointed front that is integral with the bottom of the pocket 14.

A tab i5 is attached to the lower V-pointed end of the pocket. the end of this tab there is a female-half l6 of asnap-on type button. Two male sections of similar buttons are fastened in two places, one of them I1 is on tab H which is sewed to the bottom portion of the bag just below the pocket, and the other ll" is fastened over the top end of the tab IT. This arrangement pro videsfor threepositions of the pocket; one is when the female button I6 is attached to the inalehalf button ll on tab l1; another position is when the female button IS on tab [5 is attached to the'male half ll" over the upper "end of tab l1; and a, third position is when the female half 16 is not attached to any other button. In the last position the. pocket is fully expanded as plainly shown by the full lines in -Fig. 5.

Another improved feature is the structure of the bottom 4 of the bag, having-a ring l8 to afford maximum support and protection to the -cupbottom and bottom cuff. Also the outside stitching 19 in the same which joins the bottom of the'bag and the bottom cuff. This structure as shown in Fig. 8 is very durable as it protects the seams from abrasion at those points which are the most vulnerable of anyseams'ona golf bag.

The various parts of the improved features may be made of any material suitable for the purpose, but we prefer to use such materials as are generally used in the manufacture of golf bags. 'Also the improved features may be made in different sizes.

Whilewe have shown and described the preferred embodiment'of our invention, we do not wish to limit same to the exact and precise details of structure, but reserve the right to make all modifications and changes so long as they remain within the spirit and scope of the following claims.

Having described our invention we claim:

1. In a golf bag of the character described; a carrying sling having a padded upper portion, the upper end of the padded portion swingably attached to the upper end of the golf bag, a D attached to the lower end of the padded portion, a heavy piece of leather attached to the middle portion of the body of the bag, a chape attached to each end of the said piece of leather, each chape formed as a loop with a D in the loop, a strap with a buckle attached in one end thereof and a plurality of holes in the other end portion of the strap adapted to accommodate the tongue of the said buckle, a second substantially identical strap and buckle, one of said straps inserted through one D on a chape and also inserted through the D on the lower end of the said padded portion of the sling, the other identical strap inserted through the D on the other said chape and also the D on the lower end of the padded portion, the said identical straps positioned crossing each other where they are inserted through the D on the padded portion with the hole-end of one strap fastened in the buckle of the other identical strap with the hole-end of the said second strap fastened in the buckle of the first strap; two pieces of leather formed as sleeves mounted around each pair of said straps-where they are in adjacent parallel relation to thus hold the straps slidably together.

2. In a golf bag of the character described, two pockets attached to the body of the bag, the lower portion of eachpocket extending so as to increase the area of the bottom of the pocket,-said extension terminating in the shape of a V-point, slidable fastening means attached to each pocket, said means being adapted to hold in closed condition the pocket and extendable portion; 'a tab attached to the end of eachextendable V-point portioma female part of a snapon type button-attached in the end of this tab, another tab-attached by one'end thereof to the body of thebag at a point immediately below each pocket, the free end of this second tab having the male part of a snap-on type button attached therein, another male part of a snapon type buttonattached over the upperend of the tab'attached to the-body below the pocket, saidfemale part in the end ofthe tab attached to the V-point extension being adapted for contact with the male-part in the tab attached to the body or the-malepartattaohed to the body just belowthe pocket.

JAMES R. BURTON, JR. HENRY N. McLEAN. -SR.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Gihon'3rd, et al.- Aug. 25,1942 

